The Devil’s Arithmetic

The story moves between a contemporary present and the year 1941. In 1941 Poland under Nazi occupation, a wedding turns into a transport to a concentration camp, exposing brutal conditions and executions. The present-day scenes depict a Passover dinner and family dynamics that frame Hannah's journey and the revelation of history.

The Polish village is the setting where the wedding is disrupted by Nazi soldiers and the community is displaced. The sequence shifts to the brutal reality of a Nazi concentration camp, where inmates are shaved, tattooed, and segregated. The present-day frame centers on a family home where Hannah awakens and reconnects with her relatives, linking past and present.

🕯️ Memory

Memory anchors the narrative as Hannah confronts family history and the lingering threat of the past. The aunt’s allusions to Chana and the stories told to preserve identity underscore how memory sustains communities. Hannah’s fairy-tale storytelling in the camp shows memory as a lifeline that keeps hope alive.

🕊️ Resilience

The film highlights resilience in the face of brutality, as the women in the camp rely on each other and on storytelling to endure. Hannah uses knowledge from history to inspire courage and mutual support among inmates. The narrative culminates with songs at the table, signaling a fragile but enduring spirit.

⏳ Time

Time acts as a bridge between two eras, with Hannah shifting between present-day life and 1941 Poland. This temporal displacement tests identity and foreshadows how actions in one era affect the other. The swap with Rivka and Hannah’s return to the present tie personal growth to historical memory.